The joint venture, to benamed Group Novo Latinoamerica, will be based in Buenos Aires and plans todistribute between six and 10 Brazilian films in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguayand Chile in 2005. According to Tarciso Vidigal, the head of Grupo Novo, thisis a "first step" and the partners will raise the number of pictures in 2006 aswell as start releasing in Mexico, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.

The films will be releasedthrough Grupo Noto Latinoamerica, going into a partnership with localdistributors in territories where neither partner has a distribution presence.

According to Vidigal, theJV aims eventually to release Brazilian films simultaneously in Brazil andArgentina, and eventually other Latin American capitals.

Luis Vanikoff, thepresident of Artikino Pictures, announced the deal with Vidigal at the secondBrazilian Film Market, noting that it was an extension of a partnership whichstarted two years ago with the creation of Brazilian Film Week in Buenos Aires.

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